Why was Serena written out?

[Kallyle]

Because the writers prefer to keep characters relevant to the games in the main cast rather than having a stable cast of characters. It's been this way since AG.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I agree with what you said mostly but not this. Serena's second look, which was what made her famous, isn't found in the game (as far as I am aware of). I don't think her association with Kalos is that strong. If anything, I think people think of her as Ash's girlfriend lol.

Anyway, just because a main character is not from Alola wouldn't really make the difference between whether Alola is promoted enough or not when the entire season is set in Alola, features a whole bunch of Alolan pokemon and characters.

I don't think that having a different outfit weakens her association with Kalos. She's still based on the playable female trainer and she doesn't look significantly different with the haircut and new outfit to weaken that association, especially when she did spend roughly the first year of XY with the default design of that playable trainer. Not to mention Serena is the default name of the playable female trainer as well. A new look doesn't change all of that. Outside of the hardcore shippers, I don't think that the majority of people think of Serena as Ash's girlfriend. Saying that her second look is what made her famous also sounds a bit strange to me. I thought that what made her popular was people liking her character/storyline and her crush on Ash, not her second design itself. Serena did become more popular after getting the new design, but I thought that her rise in popularity had more to do with getting more focus, as well as people loving her crush on Ash.

While SM does feature a lot of Alolan Pokemon and characters set in Alola, they still wouldn't be interested in keeping another character from the previous generation around. Why bother keeping Serena when they can spend more time featuring characters from Sun/Moon in order to promote the games even more? Popularity alone wouldn't be enough to keep Serena around. There have been other popular female leads, such as Dawn, and they were still replaced at the end of their respective series. It makes more sense marketing wise to include as many new characters from the new games as possible in a new series.

I'm not. When it is revealed that a female lead had met Ash prior to the series and has a romantic crush that never goes away, she gets elevated by fans to further prominence. Only the original cast could top her in terms of fans wanting back. That and she has proven that she can be customizable with new outfits and haircuts.

But really, I think more fans would rather have Serena leave but affirm her love for Ash with a kiss on the lips than have her stick around and potentially have the writers screw up their relationship. Character fatigue fizzles out anything interesting about them.

Fans did seem to really like her pairing with Ash. I still think that fans made a much bigger deal about her crush on Ash than the show itself normally did. While she could get different outfits and haircuts, I don't think that would have been enough to lead into Alola, especially when staying with Ash as opposed to working towards her dream would have been a huge regression for her character. Character fatigue could have been a problem too, but I would have been more upset Serena choosing Ash over her dream. Despite the popularity of Amourshipping, that wasn't what Serena's storyline was about. In my opinion, her best moments were all about her wanting to be a Performer and working with her Pokemon. That's why I never quite understood why people thought that she'd stick with Ash. She was sad over leaving the group and saying goodbye to all of her friends, but she wanted to keep working towards her goal. Heading out on her own was really the best kind of ending Serena could have gotten, even if I still think she should have stuck in Kalos instead of suddenly going off to Hoenn.

 

[Daenerys]

After all the petitions of fans to bring Serena to the Alola region with Ash,why was she written out still?

Why did anyone expect a fan-made petition to help her case when no previous petitions have affected the show? She had her time in XY, and frankly, she didn't need to stick around longer since a Kalos character like her would be irrelevant in Alola.

 

[MarshiyanMisutaa]

After all the petitions of fans to bring Serena to the Alola region with Ash,why was she written out still?

Which petitions?

 

[Wishy-Washy]

Which petitions?

All the petitions on Change.org, their was quite alot of them though i doubt anyone actually pays attention to them most of the time, the site seems to be the place anyone goes to make a petition when they have a problem with something not matter how unreasonable the petition is.

 

[Kirby4ever]

All the petitions on Change.org, their was quite alot of them though i doubt anyone actually pays attention to them most of the time, the site seems to be the place anyone goes to make a petition when they have a problem with something not matter how unreasonable the petition is.

The producers don't care about the petitions since the episodes are made in advance. I remember that when Ash got into second place in the Kalose league, people got so mad and salty that they made petitions to get them to change it, and the petitions went nowhere fast.

 

[Cresselia92]

The producers don't care about the petitions since the episodes are made in advance. I remember that when Ash got into second place in the Kalose league, people got so mad and salty that they made petitions to get them to change it, and the petitions went nowhere fast.

Well, of course it wouldn't have gone too far. You can't change what is already done.

At most the writers could have done an alternate ending, but why bother spending resources for that? There wouldn't be any benefit of that, aside quieting down some outcries, and that surely isn't their priority.

 

[Shadao]

I don't think that having a different outfit weakens her association with Kalos. She's still based on the playable female trainer and she doesn't look significantly different with the haircut and new outfit to weaken that association, especially when she did spend roughly the first year of XY with the default design of that playable trainer. Not to mention Serena is the default name of the playable female trainer as well. A new look doesn't change all of that. Outside of the hardcore shippers, I don't think that the majority of people think of Serena as Ash's girlfriend. Saying that her second look is what made her famous also sounds a bit strange to me. I thought that what made her popular was people liking her character/storyline and her crush on Ash, not her second design itself. Serena did become more popular after getting the new design, but I thought that her rise in popularity had more to do with getting more focus, as well as people loving her crush on Ash.

If we go by that argument, Ash is still based on Red and he doesn't look significantly different with new haircut and new outfit to weaken that association. Not to mention that Satoshi is the original name for Red. Yet people consider him his own unique character in spite of that fact.

Oh, and that second design is very obscure in the games. I have never seen anyone able to replicate that outfit in the XY games and I doubt that there will be confusion between game and anime Serena. This is not a Dawn, May, or Iris situation where fan artworks of these characters are interchangeable between games and anime. When you see Serena with the second outfit, you know it's the anime. You'll never confuse it with the game version. While it is true that her character and crush is what made popular, the second outfit solidifies her image as a unique character by her own right. You'll find more similarities between Ash and Red's design than the two Serenas.

This is not to say that Serena should go to Alola. But rather explaining why Serena of all people since the original cast has been hyped for the train to Alola with Ash rather than have her leave (I specifically wanted the opposite if you know my thoughts).

Fans did seem to really like her pairing with Ash. I still think that fans made a much bigger deal about her crush on Ash than the show itself normally did. While she could get different outfits and haircuts, I don't think that would have been enough to lead into Alola, especially when staying with Ash as opposed to working towards her dream would have been a huge regression for her character. Character fatigue could have been a problem too, but I would have been more upset Serena choosing Ash over her dream. Despite the popularity of Amourshipping, that wasn't what Serena's storyline was about. In my opinion, her best moments were all about her wanting to be a Performer and working with her Pokemon. That's why I never quite understood why people thought that she'd stick with Ash. She was sad over leaving the group and saying goodbye to all of her friends, but she wanted to keep working towards her goal. Heading out on her own was really the best kind of ending Serena could have gotten, even if I still think she should have stuck in Kalos instead of suddenly going off to Hoenn.

The point is that there has never been anything like Amourshipping before. Amourshipping was not the result of fans doing the usual fan-shipping. It was the show itself that encouraged such pairing with the flashbacks and dates. Without that particular crush, there is no reason as to why people will believe Serena would go with Ash to Alola. That is not to say it's enough reason for Serena to go to Alola. But it is enough for one to consider the possibility both in-story and marketing. In-story due to her crush, and marketing to her fan popularity. Not enough for override status quo, but enough to question it.

Dawn was another character that many hoped to travel to Unova with Ash, but the only possible reason to keep her around is because of the marketable Piplup, which still remains one of the most popular starter mascots of Pokémon. In-story, she has no reason to go there as she prioritizes Contests and doesn't have a crush on Ash.

And really, most fans of Amourshipping would prefer a resolution that canonizes their pairing rather than risk Serena's relationship with Ash being strained and tired in Sun and Moon. The reason why they want Serena to go with Ash is that they fear there is a chance for the writers to drop off Amourshipping without a satisfying conclusion in XY (looking at Misty). No one knew how they were going to resolve something that the series deliberately brought up and hyped until the very last episode. That is why many were satisfied with that Serena kissing Ash scene, because it affirms that this ship is still sailing strong and that no other girl could replace Serena.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

Actually I think that it might've been nice if they kept May from AG throughtout SM and she was dressed like each generation's protag.

 

[SinnohEevee]

I would have had less problem with characters leaving the show if they received follow-ups, but TPC doesn't care about that. They left Misty rotting as a Gym Leader in Kanto.
I think the TRio should have gotten the boot after DP because they became stale. Ash's story should have ended in Sinnoh.

This show is not about a story in progression, but a story that goes in circles, like the first anime director said.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

Tbh I find it odd that Serena didnt get her special already. Bonnie and Clemont did...

 

[Rath]

Tbh I find it odd that Serena didnt get her special already. Bonnie and Clemont did...

And Cilan appeared in Bonnie and Clemont's special.

My guess is that it's because Serena's character is so heavily tied to Ash that they found it too difficult to write an episode for her without him in it.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

And Cilan appeared in Bonnie and Clemont's special.

My guess is that it's because Serena's character is so heavily tied to Ash that they found it too difficult to write an episode for her without him in it.

How will they solve that? Not giving one? Never happend before

 

[Hidden Mew]

If we go by that argument, Ash is still based on Red and he doesn't look significantly different with new haircut and new outfit to weaken that association. Not to mention that Satoshi is the original name for Red. Yet people consider him his own unique character in spite of that fact.

Oh, and that second design is very obscure in the games. I have never seen anyone able to replicate that outfit in the XY games and I doubt that there will be confusion between game and anime Serena. This is not a Dawn, May, or Iris situation where fan artworks of these characters are interchangeable between games and anime. When you see Serena with the second outfit, you know it's the anime. You'll never confuse it with the game version. While it is true that her character and crush is what made popular, the second outfit solidifies her image as a unique character by her own right. You'll find more similarities between Ash and Red's design than the two Serenas.

This is not to say that Serena should go to Alola. But rather explaining why Serena of all people since the original cast has been hyped for the train to Alola with Ash rather than have her leave (I specifically wanted the opposite if you know my thoughts).

I don't know about that. Maybe it's because of how Red look in the original artwork for R/B compared to how Ash looked in the original series, but I don't think that Ash strongly resembled Red, at least as much as Serena does to her video game counterpart. You could look at Ash and not instantly think of Red back in the original series, or at least I could. I don't think that the same applies for Serena. Even with her eventual second outfit, she still spent over a year with the default design. I thought that they only proposed for Satoshi to be the original name for Red and dropped that during development, but I might be mixing that up with something else. I understand the point, but I'm just not sure if you can apply the same argument with Ash, although he does have a large advantage in this department due to being around for much longer too.

The point is that there has never been anything like Amourshipping before. Amourshipping was not the result of fans doing the usual fan-shipping. It was the show itself that encouraged such pairing with the flashbacks and dates. Without that particular crush, there is no reason as to why people will believe Serena would go with Ash to Alola. That is not to say it's enough reason for Serena to go to Alola. But it is enough for one to consider the possibility both in-story and marketing. In-story due to her crush, and marketing to her fan popularity. Not enough for override status quo, but enough to question it.

Dawn was another character that many hoped to travel to Unova with Ash, but the only possible reason to keep her around is because of the marketable Piplup, which still remains one of the most popular starter mascots of Pokémon. In-story, she has no reason to go there as she prioritizes Contests and doesn't have a crush on Ash.

And really, most fans of Amourshipping would prefer a resolution that canonizes their pairing rather than risk Serena's relationship with Ash being strained and tired in Sun and Moon. The reason why they want Serena to go with Ash is that they fear there is a chance for the writers to drop off Amourshipping without a satisfying conclusion in XY (looking at Misty). No one knew how they were going to resolve something that the series deliberately brought up and hyped until the very last episode. That is why many were satisfied with that Serena kissing Ash scene, because it affirms that this ship is still sailing strong and that no other girl could replace Serena.

I'm aware that the show was encouraging it and I didn't mean to imply it was all just fan creation like most Ash pairings. I'm just saying that the fans made a much bigger deal about the crush than the show normally did, even with teases like the date and dance party in mind. I still disagree that an in-story reason for her potentially going to Alola would be her crush. Like I said before, her storyline was not about confessing to Ash or her feelings for him. Even her reason for leaving her home was about not wanting to become a Rhyhorn Racer like her mother was forcing her to be. She wanted to find Ash again and that did help her further with her decision, but it was not the primary reason for her journey like I think a lot of people expected/assumed at the time.

Now her popularity being a reason for her to stay kind of makes sense, more so that Serena going against her character development by following after her crush at least. I understand the desire for having some resolution for the pairing and the ending to XY did provide that in a sense, but I got the impression that fans wanted to just see Ash traveling with his girlfriend or have more romantic teasing moments more than anything else. It's another reason why I didn't quite get the appeal when Serena sticking around would have also meant another series full of ship teases.

 

[SinnohEevee]

BTW, I am pretty sure Serena won't appear during Gen 8.
I just hate how the show trashes the Pokégirls and treat them as if they never existed after two generations. I know they need to promote the new games, but when was the last time we heard of May?
Can they use Side stories for follow-ups? Or maybe it's not worth the money or they just don't care.

 

[Kirby4ever]

when was the last time we heard of May?

We haven't heard from Misty, Dawn, and Iris for a long time as well.

 

[Shadao]

I don't know about that. Maybe it's because of how Red look in the original artwork for R/B compared to how Ash looked in the original series, but I don't think that Ash strongly resembled Red, at least as much as Serena does to her video game counterpart. You could look at Ash and not instantly think of Red back in the original series, or at least I could. I don't think that the same applies for Serena. Even with her eventual second outfit, she still spent over a year with the default design. I thought that they only proposed for Satoshi to be the original name for Red and dropped that during development, but I might be mixing that up with something else. I understand the point, but I'm just not sure if you can apply the same argument with Ash, although he does have a large advantage in this department due to being around for much longer too.

If we go back to when Ash and Red first debut, they were almost identical. Though they differ in small details, if a regular viewer were to casually glance at them (and have no knowledge of Pokémon), they would assume Ash and Red are the same character. They are both Japanese (I'm not counting the Gen III remakes) and keep in mind, it is incredibly difficult to find a Kanto character that resemble their game counterpart faithfully. Compare Blaine from the anime and Blaine from the games, and you will realize that Ash is rather true to Red's design.

And unlike previous Pokégirls (with the exception of Misty), Serena's first design is quite different from her video game counterpart. Her hair is much darker and her body proportion is much shorter. Her shoes and collars are also different as well as the color of her eyes. She also lacks sunglasses. That's enough difference to not confuse the two incarnations. And that design is not even used as much in fan art ever since her haircut and new outfit. Serena is seen more often in her second design rather than her first. One that is original according to the production team. And it just so happens that Moon has short hair like Serena.

Because of that, designs are not the obstacles for a character to enter in a new series. Brock is already proof of that, and Serena is more than enough removed from her game counterpart to be her own character just like Ash to Red. I would say it is the story and character arc, not her design, that plays a role into the transition.

I'm aware that the show was encouraging it and I didn't mean to imply it was all just fan creation like most Ash pairings. I'm just saying that the fans made a much bigger deal about the crush than the show normally did, even with teases like the date and dance party in mind. I still disagree that an in-story reason for her potentially going to Alola would be her crush. Like I said before, her storyline was not about confessing to Ash or her feelings for him. Even her reason for leaving her home was about not wanting to become a Rhyhorn Racer like her mother was forcing her to be. She wanted to find Ash again and that did help her further with her decision, but it was not the primary reason for her journey like I think a lot of people expected/assumed at the time.

To me, if the show were to ever encourage shipping with Ash after nearly two decades of Ash being a chaste hero, it was going to have deal with exploding popularity. And a crush on the main male protagonist is something that cannot be dismissed so easily. Hence why I considered it possible reason for Serena to stay with Ash, but I did not invest in it because romance is usually solved in a different fashion. Namely a confession from Serena (One of her arcs is building up the courage to admit her feelings to Ash). Compare that to Dawn and the other Pokégirls (except possibly Misty), Serena had better odds to go to Alola with Ash. Not high, mind you.

Now her popularity being a reason for her to stay kind of makes sense, more so that Serena going against her character development by following after her crush at least. I understand the desire for having some resolution for the pairing and the ending to XY did provide that in a sense, but I got the impression that fans wanted to just see Ash traveling with his girlfriend or have more romantic teasing moments more than anything else. It's another reason why I didn't quite get the appeal when Serena sticking around would have also meant another series full of ship teases.

Back then, nobody knew how they were going to resolve the Amourshipping subplot. And certainly, nobody expected Serena to break a convention in her departure. People assume the departure would be like Dawn or Iris. Just happy goodbyes and that's it. That kind of goodbye is not a good resolution for Amourshipping, and shippers would prefer Serena to go with Ash to prevent this anticlimax from happening even if it means another season of ship teases with no advancement. This is also why petitions to have Serena come to Alola have quiet down since that faithful October kiss. Many fans felt satisfied with resolution and have no need to see Serena go with Ash for now.

 

[Unbeatable HoennMon]

They had written out Misty, May, Dawn, Iris- so Then they did the same to Serena and next will be Lillie, Mallow and Lana- it's normal thing in this show.

 

[SerenaToAlola]

Did Serena and her "crush" bring back any old viewers? Nope. Are any of the current viewers going to stop watching if she leaves? Again, nope.

Yes it brought me back after years of not watching the anime. And I yea I actually stopped watching the anime once she left until my friend told me bout how the new season is actually pretty cool since it dealt with some pretty mature topics like death.

Also I don't see how Serena must abandon her dreams? Like @Sakuradodger said, Serena is a complex character. I don't think any of us Serena fans want her to be in Alola just so she can be with Ash. What we want is for Serena to have a good reason to be in Alola because we want to see more of her. Yes that involves some fan-service dates with Ash but that is not all there is to her. My point is that she can work towards her goals and still be with Ash. It doesn't have to be one or another.

Since they hire writers for a reason so I'm sure the writers can think of good reasons to bring her there if they had tried. I'm open to any ideas they might have as long as she's not travelling with Ash just because she wants to be with him. I think they just wrote her out because they were lazy.

Saying that her second look is what made her famous also sounds a bit strange to me. I thought that what made her popular was people liking her character/storyline and her crush on Ash, not her second design itself. Serena did become more popular after getting the new design, but I thought that her rise in popularity had more to do with getting more focus, as well as people loving her crush on Ash.

Ok pardon me for speaking loosely. What I meant was that she became famous when she was in her second look.

I'm sure she'll have a special episode with Lillie or another Alola character at the end of S&M.

OMG I'll die. My girls... Dressed in cute bikinis and sipping on some mocktails as they admire the Alolan sunset <3

 

[Cresselia92]

Did Serena and her "crush" bring back any old viewers? Nope. Are any of the current viewers going to stop watching if she leaves? Again, nope.

Her generation is over, and "AmourShipping" failed at its intended purpose.

She didn't "bring" me back, but she is one of the reasons why I stuck with the anime for three more years, after I had considered leaving because of the sour taste left to me by BW. However, I know plenty of fans who became interested in the series again after finding out about this subplot, so yes. Her crush brought back some fans.

Regarding stopping watching, I have actually stopped watching the anime, but it has nothing to do with Serena. It's the whole new saga that simply doesn't grab my interest, that's all. Even if she was still in the anime, I probably would have stopped for other reasons than for her being missing.

And I disagree in that regard. That shipping has become hugely popular, often trending on Twitter and other social media. Fans who love this kind of stuff really loved the shipping, and most of them were satisfied with the resolution.

As a fan of that shipping myself, I used to really want Serena to stick around because I love her personality and is very relatable to me, even after knowing that she would have eventually left. I thought she could have developed further in Alola and could have brought some funny or adorable moments with Ash. However, once we got that final scene, I was left satisfied, and I was perfectly fine with her leaving. I was afraid she would have left with a simple goodbye, but I gotta give kudos to Tomioka for giving her such wonderful finale.

She may be old news in the anime, and who knows if she'll get a special episode or cameo someday, but the hopeless romantic person appreciates what happened in those three years. Now, onto a new story… if I'll get back to the anime someday, that's it.